May 30, 2012 Update: The Creative Director of Razer moves up one position due to the shift in this month's list.
Feb 20, 2012 Update: Razer's vaunted Blade gaming laptop is now a reality. And, if you're willing to spend for portability as much as you would for performance, you'd like it. But until we can tell how it's selling, we can move Razer's mastermind up or down on the Power 40 list.
Why He's Powerful
One of two co-founders of the PC gaming accessories giant—and the only company since Logitech to establish any real brand equity in the space—Tan's contribution to PC gaming's future has recently taken a proactive turn with the announcement of the Razer Blade, a high-end gaming laptop developed in conjunction with Intel. Using a standardized set of hardware as well as a highly configurable integrated touchscreen (the utility of which remains to be seen), Tan's work on the Blade may point the way forward for future PC hardware, which is under assault from less expensive but increasingly powerful mobile hardware from the likes of Apple.
Is it a sure-shot? Not even close. But adopting a more standardized platform for PC gaming hardware is surely one way that Intel can showcase how much more powerful its x86-based hardware can really be when the limitations of supporting literally billions of combinations of disparate hardware are removed.
Oh, and then there's Project Fiona, which is supposed to introduce tablet gaming to the concept of dedicated controllers.